first poop?

[@llli*alilwest]

Ok, an IBCLC has been contacted. Hopefully it doesn't take her long to respond.

He isn't so jaundiced that he has to be hospitalized, but his numbers were pretty high. He is sleepy at the breast, though he has been eating way more than 10-12 times per day.

[@llli*maddieb]

Great you contacted a lactation consultant but why just stop it one. what if she is on vacation what if she's on maternity leave, or ill or just overbooked? call any lactation consultant in your area to see who would call you back fastest. call your local La Leche League call your local WIC office even if you're not on WIC, some WIC offices have excellent lactation services and can even be accessed by those not on the program. call anyone you can think of that might have information on lactation services in your area. I do not know why your baby has not pooped but no matter what a painful latch is something that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later as it can lead to many issues so it is good you are getting help even if you need to supplement right now that does not mean you will not be able to breast-feed your baby. your baby is latching, baby is nursing frequently, that is all very good. it's going to be ok.

[@llli*alilwest]

Thank you. The LC is out of town, but she gave me four other women's names, and now one of them is giving me the name of someone else.... ... surgeries, vacations, moving.... etc.

[@llli*maddieb]

Ugh. So sorry! Well, meanwhile-Do you have a pump? What about supplementing with your own expressed milk if supplementing is needed?


And here are some latch/positioning ideas so you can start figuring stuff out on your own if needed- try different ideas, there is no one single correct way to latch or position a baby to nurse. Mom and baby need to find what is right for them.

Laid back: http://www.llli.org/docs/00000000000...astfeeding.pdf


http://www.biologicalnurturing.com/
positioning and latch: http://www.llli.org/faq/positioning.html

Asymetric latch
http://www.ameda.com/resources/video

breast sandwich
http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/lv/lvfebmar04p3.html

[@llli*alilwest]

the IBCLC did come over yesterday afternoon. she suggested i lay down and do the laid back nursing for a few days, while pumping and supplementing three or four times per day until he starts pooping. Since i started doing that, even his pee diapers have become less full and the pee appears to be more concentrated. She said if he hasn't pooped by today to call the ped, but what is he going to tell me besides supplement. my baby is six days old and has to yet to have a BM. He's been at the breast almost non stop since he's been born. She says he has a good latch.

i struggled for months with my daughter to get bf-ing going, and cannot emotionally do that again. I'm at the end of my rope and can't keep making my baby suffer just to get bf-ing going. what else do i need to do?

[@llli*auderey]

oh, man, mama! how rough!

have you done any before/after weighs with him? i'm wondering how well he's transferring milk. and are you pumping & supplementing? how's the pumping going?

there are 2 issues at hand:
1. make sure baby is getting food and starts moving his bowels
2. keep your milk coming

[@llli*alilwest]

No, I haven't done any before and after weigh-ins with him. There are a few hospitals in my area that offer support groups where they do that. I'll see if any are being held today. I fed him using my BF-ing pillow last night while I was writing on the forum, and when I just changed his diaper, it was more full than it had been almost all day yesterday. So... I think I'm going to stick to using my pillow. It seems that it's easier for him to get his milk out that way as opposed to the laid back position. I guess I'll just be strict about feeding him every 2 hours today and follow up each session with pumping. While i already know what he's going to say, I think I'm going to call the ped anyway. Why can't this just be easy?

[@llli*maddieb]

There are a few hospitals in my area that offer support groups where they do that. I'll see if any are being held today.

these must be run by lc's, right? watch carefully how these type of weight checks are done. if baby is weighed in clothing or diaper, the diaper and clothing most be weighed as well. poops or pees in between the weigh ins will mess with the results. Also remember that Before and after weight checks are a snapshot of that one nursing session. They offer info, but by no means the whole story. also prior to 2 weeks of age, even a small amount of transfer is good. After two weeks, typically it is desired to see 2 ounces or more transfer.

i also was wondering has baby been weighed since birth and is baby still losing weight? generally it is expected for baby to lose weight in the first few days and start gaining about an ounce a day starting about day 5. while rare, it is possible for a baby to be gaining but not pooping. if baby is gaining, the lack of poop would be due to something other than not getting enough and supplementing would not be appropriate.

The problem is it is often hard to assess weight gain accurately as typically different scales are used for birth weight, hosp nursery weight, then peds office weight.

i suggest use whatever position(s) you feel best about, you can try different things or stick with one, as long as baby is swallowing when nursing they are getting milk. i agree with pp, frequency of nursing is most important. Baby must nurse a minimum of 12 times a day at this age. but this does not necc have to be every two hours. It can be every hour or even more frequently part of the day if baby prefers. baby may nurse more effectively if allowed to nurse on cue. But if baby is not nursing frequently enough, then baby has to be awoken to nurse. I would suggest pump when you can but not so it interferes with nursing.

I am sorry it is hard. I know this is frustrating. But if you and baby are like the vast majority of moms and babies, it will get easier-eventually way easier- i promise.

[@llli*alilwest]

My son was 10lb 11oz at birth last Tuesday (and i did it med free!!! ... SOMETHING to be happy about). Later that day, after six meconium diapers, he was 10lb 5oz. At a doctor's appointment on Friday, he was still at 10lb 5oz, which I thought was good. I thought he had already lost all the weight and was on his way back up. But when we took him back in on Saturday, they said he was 9lb 14oz. But that was a different scale, too. So, I'm not sure what to believe, but it was startling to see.

[@llli*maddieb]

Wow, big baby. no meds, so no iv fluids either? iv fluids prior to birth can unnaturally 'inflate' birth weight.

Anyway, baby is what now-6 days old? so the sat weight check was at day 4? it would be normal for baby to still be losing or at least not gaining at that point.

An up to 7% of birth weight weight loss is considered normal post birth and up to 10% can be ok depending on the baby. check my math, but i think that 7% of 10 lbs 11oz is 12 oz, and 10 % is 17 oz.
9 lbs 14oz would indicate a weight loss of 13 ounces-so, a lot, not terrible for such a large baby.

But different scales can certainly make a dramatic difference-either way. Why not have baby weighed again on the same pediatricians scale so you can see what has happened since Saturday. Weighing every day can be counter productive as babies do not necc. gain steadily but every 3 or 4 days should give you an idea?

If doctor tells you to supplement, assuming you are producing milk with the pump, certainly you can supplement with your own milk?

when weighing-Make sure-1- its the same scale. 2- scale is zeroed out prior to weight check. 3-baby is always naked or in a dry diaper when weighed 4- same units of measurement are used every time and weight is noted by both you and nurse, spoken allowed, and written down correctly 5-weight check is done slowly and carefully. if in doubt, ask for a second weight to double check.